Investigating Quality of Life and Decision Regret in Patients Undergoing Laryngectomy

Total laryngectomy is a surgical procedure for advanced laryngeal cancer and can affect speech, swallowing, and breathing. This study compared the quality of life, swallowing function, and decision regret among patients who underwent primary total laryngectomy with adjuvant radiation (Group 1) versus salvage laryngectomy (Group 2). A survey was completed by 25 Group 1 patients and 27 Group 2 patients. Quality of life and swallowing ability were assessed using the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL) and M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI), while decision regret was measured using the Decision Regret Scale. Group 1 patients reported a higher mean total UW-QOL score (74.4) than Group 2 (68.2). Similarly, Group 1 patients demonstrated better swallowing outcomes, with a mean MDADI score of 70.28 compared to 63.90 in Group 2. Decision Regret scores were lower in Group 1 patients (31.4) than in Group 2 (35.37), indicating less regret regarding treatment decisions. However, all these differences did not reach statistical significance. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of fully informing patients of the impact of surgery on quality of life to assist them in their decision-making. Future studies can recruit larger cohorts and investigate the effectiveness of other laryngectomy treatments/procedures.